The Greatest "Trick" In Teaching

(During my studies at Chico State, we were asked to give a short paper on The Greatest "Trick" In Teaching. This was my offering.)

I have had a great deal of trouble with this assignment for I do not recognize tricks, gimmicks or stunts in the classroom setting well. The one that has stayed with me, made the biggest impression on me, is Mr. Pettersen, my high school biology teacher.

Mr. Pettersen had a glass eye. When he wanted to emphasize something, give us pause to think or finish a note, or to get someone's attention, he would remove and polish his glass eye. I have talked to fellow classmates and to my son, who also had Mr. Pettersen for biology, and we all agree - which eye was glass we do not know for sure! The consensus is that it was his left eye.

Apparently, he had several eyes for, when he came to class with blood-shot eyes, both were blood-shot. He always had an eye on the students, either eye. You knew he was looking at you out of the corner of his eye, but was it with the glass eye? Evidently, he had some muscular control over the glass eye.

Wouldn't the removing and wiping of the eye give it away? No, for he as often dabbed at his good eye. I confess, I was slow to realize what he was doing when he flipped that handkerchief about. But when he looked through a microscope to tell a student what they were supposed to be seeing, he knew so well what should be there, that he would use his false eye and clank it against the eyepiece!

The really amazing thing about Mr. Pettersen and his glass eye was that we learned biology, we remembered what he was teaching us. He rarely had a discipline problem in his classes. One would think that such actions would distract rather than attract attention. For some reason, it didn't. Obviously, it left a lasting impression on all of his students. I'm sure it was his left eye - but I'm just as sure I saw him remove his right eye once!